Listing and checking machine



Dec. 8, 1931. A. E. GRAY.

LISTING AND CHECKING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 8, 1928 Patented Dec. 8, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ALVIN E. GRAY, F FLUSHING, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE TABULA'IING MACHINE COMPANY, OF ENDICOTT, NEW YORK A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY LISTING AND CHECKING MACHINE Application filed August 8, 1928. Serial No. 298,378.

The present invention relates to record card controlled machines and has for its principal object to check successive records and to determine whether a predetermined relationship exists between the index point designations of the successive records.

Another'object of the invention is to give an indication when the index points of successive record cards do not conform to the predetermined relationship.

A further object of the invention consists in the provision of means for automatically and additionally spacing the paper feed whenfthe index points of successive cards do not conform to the predetermined relationshi nother object of the invention is to check successive records and to determine whether the cards passing through the machine have consecutive index point designations.

Another object of the invention consists in the arrangement of two analyzing devlces coordinated with each other to control machine operation, which analyzing devices analyze difi'erentrecord columns.

A further object of the invention consists in a broadly new method of checking a sequence of cards witlrconsecutive numbers through a special control column on the card and analyzing devices coordinated to this control column and to theunits column of the index point designation.

: .Other objects and advantages of the invention will be hereinafter pointed out in the following detailed description which refers specifically to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 represents a circuit diagram;

Fig. 2 shows in detail a control magnet of Fig. 1; I Fig. 3 shows the paper feed actuating mechanism Figs. 4 and 5 are two cards to be checked by means of the present invention; and,

Fig. 6 is a paper strip with items printed thereon.

The special problem underlying the present invention is to check the designating perforationsof record cards to determine whether they are arranged in a proper consecutive order. Two cards with two consecutive deslgnatmg numbers, such as, for example, 1110- tor numbers, are shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

- For the special purpose of the present invention on each card is provided a control column adjacent to the units column of the designation field. In the control column is punched in the usual way at the same time with the motor number an index point one unit in advance of the index point of the unit column in the motor number field. When the cards run through the machine the hole of the controlcolun'm of the first card and that of the units column of the second card of two subsequent cards will be compared simultaneously; it is obvious that the consecutive sequence of the cards is proper if the holes in the analyzed columns agree but if there be any wrong or missing or duplicate card the holes will not agree. The present application provides means to indicate such an improper se-, quence on thepaper strip on which the designation numbers are printed; for this purpose the strip is spaced two lines if there is ,w

an improper sequence so that there is a blank space on the sheet, as soon-as a wrong sequence occurs.

The analyzing means and the mechanism for spacing the paper feed will nowbe described in detail in connection with the draw mgs.

The cards 2 of a stack 1 are fed one by one by means of a reciprocally movable picker 3 and transported through the machine by means of rollers 4. On their passa e the cards pass a set of upper brushes 5 an a set of lower brushes 6 with their coordinated sets of contact blocks 7 and 8. The feeding and analyzing mechanisms being well known in the art they need not be explained herein in detail.

The two left hand contact blocks 8 coordinated to the lower brushes '6 analyze the desv ignation number field; they are connected withprinting magnets 9 controlling in the well known manner-a printing device for printing items on a strip corresponding to the perforationsin the cards, (see Fig. 6). Contact roller 10 is provided with an insulating bar 11, preventing energization of the printing magnets when the index point area of the records is not under the brushes. When a hole passes one of the brushes 6 a circuit, will be closed from the positive line 12 of the current source (not being shown) over brush 6, corresponding contact block 8, printing magnet 9, brushes and roller back to the negative line 13. From the upper brushes normally used for the automatic group control in the present case the midst brush 5 alone is used for analyzing the units column of the designation field adjacent to the control column. Considering now Figs. 4 and 5 it will be seen that the perforation in the control column and the perforation in the units column of the subsequent card must .agree provided the sequence of the numbers of two subsequent cards is correct... In this case magnet 14 will be energized and effect a single spacing as will be described later. On the other hand if there is no pro er sequence between two subsequent cards, 0 viously the magnet 14 cannot be energized. Energization of magnet 14 is effected from line 12 over right hand located brush 6, block 8, closed contact 15 and over upper block 7, brush 5 back to the negative line 13. It will be noticed that each time the magnet 14 is ener-v gized during one machine cycle a normal one line spacing shall be effected while double line spacing shall occur if magnet 14 becomes not ener ized.

When magnet 14 (Figl'32) is energizedit attracts its armature 16, thus permitting a bell crank to rock about its'pivot 18 under the in- .fluence of a spring. Lever 17 remains in that position until the-end of the machine cycle when it is restored by a cam 19 moved synchronously with the passage of the cards through the machine. In its normal position lever 17 remains locked by armature 16. When lever 17 is turned clockwise contact 15 will be opened and contact 36 located within the control circuit of magnet 20 will be closed. At the end of each machine cycle cam 21 closes contact 22 thus completing the circuit from line 12 to line 13 provided contact 36 has been closed. Evidently therefore magnet 20 will be energized each time 14 is energized and it will not be energized unless magnet 14 is energized. The cooperation of magnet 20 with the paper feed device is shown in Fig. 3. Paper platen 23 is provided with a tooth wheel 24 cooperating with a pawl 25, the pawl 25 is mounted on a plate 26 pivotally arranged on shaft 27. By means of lever 28 at theend of each machine cycle plate 26 is drawn down in a well known manner, thus enabling the pawl 25 pressed by a spring 27 towards the Wheel 24 to turn the platen if the pawl catches the wheel 24. Loosely mounted upon shaft 29 is a plate 30 provided on its lower end with a pin 31 sliding in a bifurcation of a bell crank 32, the one arm of which forms the armature of magnet 20. Lever 32 is held in its normal position (Fig. 3) by a spring 33 against a stop. Plate 30 is provided with a segment 34 ending in the normal position of lever 32 just in front of pawl 25. The actuation of lever 28 thus permits pawl 25 to turn wheel 24 for two units; but if magnet 26 is energized, segment 34 will be moved counterclockwise ,for the way of one tooth', thus disengaging wheel 24 and pawl 25. If, then, lever 26 is actuated, pawl 25 slides over the end of segment 34 and engages with wheel 24 so that pawl 25 may now turn the toothed wheel 24 only for one tooth. If, on the other hand magnet 20 is not energized, pawl 25 engages from the beginning of the actuation of lever 26, Wheel 24, thus turning the paper platen for two steps. It will-be obvious that by this arrangement a blank space will be provided between two subsequent items on the paper strip if there is any Wrong sequence as for instance a missing or duplicate card (see Fig. 6)

Though in the present specification a spacing device is used, the invention is not limited to this embodiment as it will be obvious to those familiar with the art that other indicating devices may be used.

While there has been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a single modification it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated and in its operation-may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the following claims:

1. In a record controlled machine, means for analyzing non-corresponding record columns on successive records for designating ndex points and means controlled by the analyzing means for controlling machine op in the non-corresponding record columns of successive records and controlling machine operation in a non-corresponding manner when the index points dc not conform to the predetermined relationship. I

2. In a. record controlled machine for successively handling records of a single series bearing iiidex points conforming to a progression, means for analyzing successive records of the series for the index points of the progression and means controlled by the analyzing means for giving an indication when the index points on a record fail to conform to the progression. 3. In a record controlled machine, means for analyzing non-corresponding record columns on successive records for designating perforations and means controlled by the analyzing means for giving an indication, when the designating perforations on two different columns of two successive records do not agree.

4.. In a record controlled machine for successively handling records of a single series bearing index points conforming to a pr0gression, means for analyzing successive records of the series for the index points of the progression, paper feeding means and means controlled by the analyzing means for controlling the paper feeding means of the machine.

5. In a record card controlled machine, means for analyzing non-corresponding record columns on successive records for designating index points, paper feeding means and means controlled by the analyzing means for operating the paper feed of the machine if the designation in the analyzed columns fail to agree.

6. In a record card controlled machine, means for analyzing simultaneously non-corresponding record columns on successive records for designating index points, paper feeding means and means controlled by the analyzing means for operating the paper feed of the machine when the perforations in the analyzed columns fail to agree.

7. In a record card controlled machine, means for analyzing the units column for a designating index point, means for analyzing simultaneously a non-corresponding control column of the subsequent card, a control cir cuit controlled by said analyzing means, paper feeding mechanism, a magnet actuating the paper feeding mechanism under the control of the aforesaid control circuit which is energized when the perforations in the analyzed non-corresponding columns of two subsequent cards fail to agree.

8. In a record controlled machine for handling successively fed records of a single series bearing index points conformmg to an unvarying arithmetical progression, means for analyzing successive records of the series for the index points of the progression, and means controlled by the analyzing meansfor giving an indication when the index polnts on successive records fail to conform to the arithmeticalprogression.

9. In a record controlled machine for handling successively fed records of a single series bearing index points conforming to an unvarying arithmetical progression, means for analyzing the index points of the successive records of the series and means controlled by the analyzing means for changing machine operation when successive index polnts on the records fail to conform to the arith- .metical progression.

. 10. In a record controlled machine for handling record cards having index points, analyzing mechanism, and machine controlling mechanism controlled by said analyzing mechanism rendered effective when index points of successive record cards fail to conform to an arithmetical progression represented by index points in non-corresponding columns of successive record cards.

11. In a record controlled machine for handling record cards having index points, analyzing mechanism, and a achine controlling mechanism controlled y said analyzing mechanism, said analyzing mechanism arranged to analyze index points in non-corresponding columns of successive record cards.

12. In a record controlled machine for handling record cards, each card having a special controlling index point adapted to represent a progression with respect to the index point of an adjacent column, and an analyzing mechanism arranged to analyze the index points of successive record cards to determine whether index points in non-corresponding columns conform to the progression.

13. In a record controlled machine for handling record cards, one card having a special index point representing an arithmetical progression with respect to the index point of another card, and a machine controlling mechanism governed by said index points.

14. In a record controlled machine for handling records, each record having an index point representing an arithmetical progression with respect to the index point of a successive record, and a machine controlling mechanism governed by said index points.

15. In a record controlled machine for handling successively fed records, conforming to a progression, means for analyzing successive records to determine whether the index points conform to the progression and a paper feeding device controlled in said analyzing mech anism and operated an abnormal extent when the index points of successive records fail to conform to the progression.

In testimony whereof I hereto aflix my signature. I

ALVIN E. GRAY. 

